Donald Edward Rushton

                                                     November 20, 1946 – January 6, 2022

"In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” 

                                                                                Abraham Lincoln

Donald Edward Rushton transitioned from this world on January 6, 2022, after a life well lived. At the end of a heroic and stoic three-year battle against cancer, Don remained passionate, steadfast, and dedicated to a robust love of life. Faithful friends of his local AA group remember fondly the boisterous laugh and ready wit that accompanied many friendly visits from a comrade who was always willing to lend a hand. A lifelong lover of the animal kingdom, Don was rarely very far from his beloved long-haired dachshund Lucy, or his 4 precocious cats. A native of Lorain, Don spent his childhood and teenaged years strolling barefoot along the Virginia Beach seashore, where his love of seafood was legendary. Don graduated from Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he is remembered for his smoldering good looks, his love of fast cars and his amazing energy. After graduation, he joined his beloved Marine Corps and served honorably in the Vietnam conflict, which changed him greatly and opened his eyes and mind to the ways of the world. He always cited the time serving his country as some of his proudest and most profound moments. Don worked over twenty years for the Ford Motor Company at the Avon plant. Employees and team members remember his dedication, his caring attitude, and his incomparable work ethic. It was not unusual to hear him referred to as “the best boss’ or “just a great guy.” Donald Edward Rushton cannot be summed up in a small number of words. He was a boy who overcame great and difficult obstacles to become a man of worth, and someone to be remembered. He knew no strangers, He trusted blindly. He walked in dark woods and stared longingly at the Atlantic Ocean. He was no poet but valued the music of words. He had a metabolism that was historic. He gobbled down food as he consumed life. It is a life that is less without him in it.

Don is survived by people who already miss him greatly and are painfully aware of his affect and influence on their lives. These include his loving daughter, Nicole Rushton Shinsky of Lorain, his sister Mary Katherine Rushton Dewing of Suffolk, Virginia (Andy, Hunter, Hannah, Kate Dewing), his brother John Spradlin Rushton of High Point, North Carolina (Casey Rushton Lehner, Kendall Nowers, Bronwyn, and Kira Rushton), his brother Mark Shaffer of Lorain (Doris), grandchildren Holly King (Brian), Alexis Beasley, Kwintyn Shinsky and great-grandson Nolan King.

Don was preceded in death by his amazing parents, Edward and Doris Rushton and his beloved grandmother, Elsie Rushton Robertson

Private services and burial with full military honors will be held in April at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, OH.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Friendship Animal Protective League of Lorain County, 8303 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, Ohio  44035.